


I Promise

by PromiseOfGrayskull



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018), She-Ra: Princess Of Power (1985)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, F/F, Feels, Fluff, Happy Ending, Mutual Pining, Rescue Missions, Short & Sweet, catradora
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-29
Updated: 2020-06-03
Packaged: 2021-03-03 05:48:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 8,184
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24439948
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PromiseOfGrayskull/pseuds/PromiseOfGrayskull
Summary: *Takes place after Season4 and before S5* All her life, Adora has had a purpose. She thought that purpose was fulfilling her destiny as She-Ra, but with the sword broken, She-Ra gone, and Glimmer trapped on Horde Prime's ship, what could she do?
Relationships: Adora & Catra (She-Ra), Adora/Catra (She-Ra)
Comments: 3
Kudos: 40





	1. Gone

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! This is my first fic here, and it was written following the events of Season 4 and finished before Season 5 was confirmed so what happens in this has no correlation to what is (as of right now) canon. I wasn't too far off in the events that actually took place, but I chose to not update this to make it more similar to the plot of the show's final season. The chapters are going to be a bit short but I'll be adding multiple chapters at once. There's a teen rating just due to some mentions of blood and a few suggestive comments. Enjoy!

Adora was alone. That was all she knew, and all she had. Her sword was shattered; it lay in pieces wrapped in her coat in the corner of her much-too-quiet room. Glimmer was gone-Bow told her that Glimmer was on Horde Prime’s ship, with no way of reaching her. All of the princesses that had been affected when the planet balanced were drained, but all too scared to recharge. And Catra? No one knew where she was. It was all too easy to assume that she was de-.  
Adora’s door flew open with a bang. It was Bow, sporting pale skin and deep, dark undereye circles. He hadn’t slept, but then again, who had?  
“I’ve been with King Micah. He’ll take control of Bright Moon for now, but he’s...still adjusting.” Bow spoke softly.  
Adora nodded, “Any word from the Horde?”  
“Nothing new. Most of the soldiers went into hiding when they learned what was going on. After Scorpia defected, some followed. A few of your former cadets are in the base camp outside of Plumeria, turning in their Horde gear. But, since Hordak is supposedly on Horde Prime’s ship, and Catra-” Bow cut himself off at the razor-sharp look Adora threw his way, “Since no one is in command of the Horde on Etheria, they aren’t much of a threat.”  
Adora stood and started to pace around her room, the dull taps of her boots the only sound the two could hear.  
“It’s all my fault. If Glimmer and I hadn’t fought, she would’ve listened, and we could have stopped Light Hope and then fought the Horde, and then Horde Prime and-”  
“Adora. This isn’t your fault. You couldn’t have known what Light Hope was doing. No one could. And Glimmer, she’s struggling right now. Losing her mom, becoming Queen. She needs us, regardless of how things have been lately. We may not have our friend and Queen, but we do have each other. All that’s left is a plan.”  
But for the first time, Adora didn’t have one.

Adora’s dream that night was real. Too real. Catra was there, entangled in Adora, whose hands snakes up Catra’s sides and wrapped around her soft, warm neck, pulling her so close they could feel each other’s breaths.  
“I miss you,” Adora whispered, pressing her forehead to dream-Catra’s. She closed her eyes, feeling Catra’s nails rake gently along her arms and rest on her face.  
“Adora, I’m not gone,” Catra said softly.  
“But you are, Catra. No one knows where you are. No one knows if you’re alive. It’s...almost as if I know you’re dead,” Adora looked down, her voice cracking.  
“I’m not dead, idiot. But I guess I am gone, in a way? Your little friend Sparkles and I are stuck on Horde Prime’s ship.” Adora’s head snapped up.  
“Whe- how are you-?!” she gasped, her grip on Catra’s arms tightening.  
“I dunno, some magic type stuff?” Catra’s ears stood up, “I don’t have much time. You need to get to the ship. If you take down the main computer, it’ll disable the whole ship and everyone on it. We can get this ship far, far away from here. Please, Adora, you have to hurry.”  
“I don’t- w-what?” Adora stammered, trying to understand. Catra shoved a tablet seemingly coming from nowhere into Adora’s hands.  
“Come on Princess. If anyone can do this, it’s you.”  
“But will you come back?”  
“Adora, what are you talking about?”  
“If I do this, Catra, will I ever see you again? Will you go back to the Horde or leave altogether?”  
Catra huffed, “We’ll worry about that later. We don’t have much time. Horde Prime is going to attack Etheria any day. Damn it, the connection’s failing, Adora, you have to-- help--” Catra’s voice was breaking up and her appearance seemed to glitch, Adora no longer able to touch her, “Hurry--Sparkles--Prime--Adora!” And then she was gone, and Adora woke up in a cold sweat.


	2. Dreams Never Lie

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adora finally comes up with a plan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Am I posting multiple chapters at once? Indeed. This chapter is lightly longer than the first chapter, and we're starting to get things moving along.

“Bow, we’re getting on that ship!” Adora burst through the doors of Bow’s room. She had waited impatiently until the sun began to rise before disrupting him, but she had waited long enough. In response to the sudden noise and shock, Bow screamed and fell off of his bed. Sleepily, he squinted at Adora, who stood rimrod straight and looked far too alert to be human.   
Groggily, Bow muttered, “Adora, what is it? Is there an attack? Emergency?”  
“I KNOW it’s going to sound crazy, but I had a dream and Catra was there and she was on Horde Prime’s ship and Glimmer was with her, and Glimmer was using magic to help me see Catra in my dreams and she gave me a tracker pad and told me that there’s a way to defeat Horde Prime and rescue her and Glimmer and get Etheria back for us,” Adora spoke so quickly she had to gasp for a breath. Bow sat, blinking slowly, trying to process everything Adora had just thrown at him.   
“Adora, are you sure you didn’t just have a weird dream? You haven’t gotten much sleep recently,” he said slowly.   
“It was real, Bow. It was so real,” Adora subconsciously touched the side of her face where Catra had rested her very warm, very real, hand. The tired archer heaved himself up off of the floor with a sigh.   
“Let’s talk to King Micah. He’d know if there’s a spell that can do that.”  
Adora nodded a little too furiously.   
The two hurried to the War Room, where King Micah paced around the table. The magic table usually showed Bright Moon and the surrounding Kingdoms, but today it showed a projection of Horde Prime’s army that had taken position just outside of Etheria’s atmosphere. Spinnerella and Netossa, the only two Princesses in the Princess Alliance not affected by the Heart of Etheria project, slept in each other’s arms at the table. They likely had been strategizing all night.   
“Your Majesty,” Adora and Bow both gave a bow, “We believe there may be a way to rescue Queen Glimmer.”   
The King stopped in his tracks, “What?!”  
“Adora had a dream that Glimmer had contacted her through Force Captain Catra, Hordak’s second in command. Supposedly, it was through a spell that Adora was able to see and touch and hear Catra. Catra said that there was a way to take down Horde Prime. Would it be possible that it was more than a dream, and that it was true?” Bow opened his mouth before Adora could even think of what to say. Micah scratched his chin, lost in thought for a minute.   
“Yes…” he said at last, “A simple spell. Both Adora and Catra would have had to be asleep at the same time for it to work. But it is possible.”  
“Would it be possible for for one person to give something to another through the spell?” Adora asked, pulling the tablet from behind her back. Micah stared at it for a long time.   
“Catra gave this to you in your dream?” He asked.   
Adora nodded, “I woke up with it in my hand.”  
“It’s not uncommon. Very difficult, but not impossible. I think it’s safe to say that it really was Glimmer and Catra contacting you. Which means they are both alive and figured out a way to stop Horde Prime’s army.” Micah’s face hardened when he said his daughter’s name. He had just as much concern as anyone for her, if not more.   
“The only thing we need to do is find a way to get on Horde Prime’s ship. Since it’s in Outer Space, I doubt that our skiffs will be able to get us there,” Bow spoke up.   
“Wait a minute...do you think we could use Mara’s ship?” Adora thought aloud. She realized with a sinking feeling that the ship was for She-Ra, and she wasn’t She-Ra anymore.   
“I don’t know if it’ll work without the sword,” she finished.   
“It’s worth a try,” Bow said, “We’ll gather a small group of fighters to help infiltrate the ship. We’ll find Glimmer and Catra, rescue them, shut down the ship’s power, get everyone back on Mara’s ship, and get out of there.” Adora could point out lots of holes in the plan, the biggest of which was what they would do if Mara’s ship didn’t work for her, but it was better than any plan Adora could have come up with given the circumstances.  
With King Micah’s permission and some more planning, Bow and Adora hastily made their way to the camps on the outside of Plumeria that the newly-defected Horde soldiers were being held. It wasn’t long before Adora found her old squadron, Lonnie, Rogelio, and Kyle, all wearing a grey blanket over their Horde uniforms. She cautiously approached them.   
“We need your help.” She spoke carefully, unsure of how they would react to their former friend that had, essentially, left them for the enemy.  
“Would it have anything to do with the rumors about Horde Prime being here?” Lonnie responded with a raised eyebrow and a hint of ice in her tone.   
“The ship is holding captives from Etheria. Queen Glimmer of Bright Moon, and...Catra,” Adora confessed. She had fully expected the faces of shock she saw now, “We’d like your help to rescue them. Both of them.”  
Lonnie exchanged looks with Rogelio and Kyle. She nodded, “We’ll help you.”  
Adora’s eyes widened, “You will?”  
“Of course we will. Adora, you had the right idea by leaving the Horde. We just didn’t see it until recently. And Catra, she wasn’t the same without you. Colder, harsher. But we’ve stuck together, we’ve had each other’s backs since then and we’ve got to now.” Adora smiled.   
“Thank you,” she whispered.   
“Now we just gotta hope Kyle doesn’t mess things up,” Lonnie grinned, prompting a groan from Kyle and some rumbles from Rogelio. 

Within a few hours, Adora and Bow had gathered enough of a group to invade the ship, all former Horde soldiers. Adora had insisted that all soldiers wear their battle armor, it would help them blend in with the soldiers on Horde Prime’s ship, and she needed people that understood the Horde’s ways to fully pull off her plan.   
So here she was, in a supply tent, shrugging off her red jacket and folding it neatly on a nearby bench and picking up the armour she would need to wear.   
“Adora, you still wear your Horde uniform?” Lonnie asked, somewhere behind her. Adora realized that the signature Horde wings on the back of her white shirt had never been replaced. She had never really changed her uniform when she left the Horde, save for the belt buckle with the Horde’s emblems and her Force Captain badge.   
“Yeah, I guess so. Never gave much thought about it,” Adora responded, slipping into the leg armour. But she had. The Horde had been her only home, her whole life was rooted in it. It was the only thing she had ever known. And then she found out she was She-Ra, and that the Horde was “bad”, and who was really telling the truth and what could she believe? But the Horde was still a part of her, and had shaped her into who she was. She never told anyone about the guilt that she had about leaving, even though she knew it had been the right choice. Lost in thought, Adora didn’t realize that she’d finished putting on her armour, snapping the pieces together by pure instinct. Lonnie handed her a helmet, but Adora struggled to lock it into place. Lonnie reached up to help.   
“Those always were a pain to put on,” she smiled. Adora smiled back.  
After suiting up, the group headed into the Whispering Woods to reach Mara’s ship.   
“Do you have the tracker pad?” Adora asked Bow. He nodded. They continued in silence. Pushing through the bushes, they stepped into the clearing that they had hidden the ship in.   
“Damn,” Lonnie breathed, as Rogelio growled in agreement.   
“This is it,” Adora called. She removed her helmet, and almost instantly the ship’s door opened. Adora felt a twang of panic that the ship wouldn’t work for her, and all of this would be a waste of time. But the door opened for her? Did that mean it was okay?  
AS expected, the inside of the ship was ghostly, dark and abandoned. Scanning the room, there was no sign of Light Hope, or that the ship worked otherwise. Adora walked to the front of the room and looked at the control panels, trying to find anything that would help her fly the ship.   
“You can read that gibberish?” Kyle asked, peering over Adora’s shoulder.   
She nodded, “I’m a First One. They were the first people to settle Etheria. That’s First One’s writing.” She wondered if they knew she was She-Ra.   
Adora removed a grey glove and placed her hand on the panel of the controls. And held her breath.   
“Eternia!” she commanded. The ship sprang to life, it’s purple-bluish glory showing all the symbols and engravings on the walls, the screens showing the planet and the ship itself.   
“Looks like it’s working,” Bow whispered. Adora walked to the helm chair, ignoring the murmers from the small group of soldiers.  
“Rise,” she instructed the ship. It shuddered slightly as it lifted off the ground. Adora’s fingers tapped the keyboard on the chair’s armrest to put in the coordinates to Prime’s ship.   
“Let’s go get them,” she said, and the ship shot into space.


	3. If It Wasn't For You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> THE GIRLS ARE FIGHTINGGGGGGG!!!!!!

Clink. Clink. Clink. Clink. Catra was throwing loose bits of metal at the walls again, and it was making Glimmer crazy.   
“Can you maybe, not do that?” she snapped.  
Catra continued, firing back, “You got anything better for me to do?”  
Glimmer huffed and looked out of the cell’s forcefield into the wall of other cells. Her magic was drained, and she dared not sleep for fear that Catra had another trick up her sleeve. She was completely helpless.  
“You think Adora’s gonna be able to get to us?” Catra asked.   
“Hopefully. Or maybe she thought it was a weird dream, or you pissed her off too much.” Glimmer didn’t try to mask the anger in her voice.   
“Listen Sparkles, it isn’t like we had another option. I saved your life, remember?” Catra scowled.   
“None of this would ever have happened without you!” Glimmer was too furious to hold back. “If it hadn’t been for you, my mom would still be here. If it hadn’t been for you, the world wouldn’t have ended. If it hadn’t been for you…” Glimmer’s mouth curved into a sick smirk, “...I bet Adora never would have left the Horde.” That struck a nerve in Catra, and Glimmer watched her face turn to total rage.   
“At least I cared enough to listen to her. I cared enough to help her. At least I was there for her,” it was Catra’s turn to smirk, “Because, from what I can tell, you haven’t done any of that.”  
“Maybe Adora will realize how much better off she is without you.” Glimmer delivered one final blow before the cell plunged back into silence. Catra curled herself into a corner as she usually did when she napped. Glimmer tried to ignore the sobs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a real short chapter, yes, but the next one is big and Has Drama, I promise it will be worth it.


	4. Rescue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am still sorta in quarantine with nothing else to do, so I'm gonna be updating this pretty frequently! But, this chapter is pretty fun, so I hope you enjoy!

Adora was starting to have regrets about using the space ship. It hurtled through the sky, and, though the trip to Horde Prime’s ship would only be a few minutes, Adora felt sick. What if they were too late to save Glimmer? What if they failed? Adora thought sickenly of the metal and crystal shards resting against her hip in her utility belt. Would “Adora” be enough without “She-Ra”, who she couldn’t turn into anymore? And what about Catra? Adora’s stomach twisted. Damn spaceship.   
She looked around at the rest of the soldiers, many of them backed into the wall from the sheer force of the ship’s speed.   
“About a minute left,” Adora called, doing her best to interpret the First One’s writing displayed on the screen. Bow groaned- he was not enjoying the ride either.   
“We’ll enter through the door to the hangar,” Adora announced, looking at the map on the tracker pad Catra had given her, “We’ll leave the ship and make our way to the prison blocks. If we’re stopped, the rule is that we’re the evaluators Horde Prime sent for from Hordak’s army. Bow will hack into the prison system to locate Catra and Glimmer, and then we’ll get them out, also with Bow’s hacking. We’ll get them to our ship, after we disable the main computer on Horde Prime’s. It’ll disable everything and everyone on that ship.”   
“Shouldn’t we disable the the computer first?” a soldier asked.   
“We could. But we worried that if the systems are down, we won’t be able to hack into the prison system. This way may be harder, but there’s less risk we won’t be able to rescue Catra and Glimmer,” Bow responded, “We’ll be able to get out after the systems are shut down, though.”  
Adora nodded, “Helmets on, make sure you have your stun batons and torches. Stay in line, stay alert.”   
Helmets clicked into place, and Adora opened the door to Mara’s ship. The group marched into the hangar, following Bow and Adora’s lead.   
“Stop! State your purpose here!” The group froze. A soldier on Prime’s ship suspiciously eyed the collection of “Horde Soldiers”.   
“We are the soldiers Lord Horde Prime requested for review,” Lonnie answered, her authoritive tone much more convincing than anyone else could muster. The officer did not respond for a minute and Adora could feel the nervousness rising.   
“We weren’t expecting you until tomorrow. Well, you’re here now. Continue.” the officer replied, tapping some buttons on her tablet and turning away.   
Adora’s team continued through the corridors, following their own tablet’s instruction. They were getting closer and closer to the prisons, and Adora’s heart pounded. She tried not to think about it.   
“Almost there, just around that corner,” Bow whispered, and Adora’s heart sped even more. They rounded the corner and paused just at the entrance to the prison block. Bow tapped some buttons at the computer, quickly finding their targets’ cell. The group went up the lift, and began to march around the circular hallway.   
“It’s cell 283,” Bow’s voice was barely audible. The sound of boots hitting the floor was all Adora could hear. Well, besides her heart beating at the speed of light. They stopped in front of a cell, and Adora sucked in a breath.   
“On your feet, prisoners!” she commanded, her voice becoming much deeper and authorative through her helmet. Two figures in the cell began to move, and almost instantly Adora’s eyes locked onto the lanky, tall figure as she approached the forcefield of the cell. The forcefield fell, and Adora saw Catra. She looked utterly defeated, the dark circles under her eyes standing out even more against her much paler skin. Adora’s chest ached just looking at her. She pulled a pair of handcuffs from her utility belt and stepped towards Catra.   
“Turn around,” Adora barked. Catra did. Adora gently snapped the cuffs onto Catra’s wrists, leaning just close enough that Catra could hear.   
“Hey, Catra.”   
Catra’s ears perked and she turned to look at Adora. Adora shook her head quickly, but subtly, hoping to clue her in on what was going on. She nodded, just as subtly as Adora had.   
Bow nodded to Adora when Glimmer was cuffed, pulling their “prisoners” into their lineup. They began the march to the main computer in silence.   
“Where are you taking us?” Glimmer asked coldly.   
“Be quiet. You’ll find out,” Lonnie responded. Adora was thankful that she didn’t have to say it. They marched on. 

Walking seemed to take forever. Metallic clangs after clangs rang out as the boots hit the floor, the only proof that they were actually moving. The walls were identical from one hall to the next.   
“Are we going the right way?” Adora practically growled, irritation lacing her voice.   
“I’m sure of it,” Bow responded, glancing at the tracker pad. Adora let out a huff. Catra’s finger lightly brushed against Adora’s hand where she held the shorter girl’s wrist. It comforted Adora a little, but there was still so much that could go wrong, still so much that she could lose. She let herself squeeze Catra’s wrist lightly in response.   
At last, the group came to the doors marked “Main Computer”. It was stupid to label it so clearly, but Adora figured the greater Horde Army had ways to deal with people that weren’t supposed to use that room. Bow plugged a chord into the keypad and tapped a few buttons, the doors sliding open with a hiss. The group broke ranks and hurried into the room, reforming in a semicircle around Bow, who had begun furiously typing on the keyboard of the main computer. The room was dark, it was hard to tell how large it really was.   
“Why are we here?” Glimmer demanded to know, struggling against the restraints.   
“Shut up a little longer and you might find out,” Adora snapped.   
Catra raised a brow, curious to know why she was in on the plan and Glimmer wasn’t. Adora shook her head.   
She felt somewhat guiltily pleased that Glimmer didn’t know yet. She knew it was wrong of her to think that, Glimmer had been so good to her when she first joined the rebellion, but their recent fallouts made her wonder if Glimmer had ever really cared for Adora, not She-Ra.   
“Yes!” Bow exclaimed from the computer. A series of beeps rang out, and the hum of machines began to fade. The ship was deathly quiet. Too quiet.   
“Let’s get out of here,” Lonnie muttered, shuddering.   
“I agree. Torches out, and helmets off,” Adora replied, unhooking her flashlight from her utility belt, “Bow, we’re good to take the cuffs off, right?”  
He nodded, as Glimmer’s eyes widened in realization.   
“You-you mean, Bow-?! Adora-?!” she spluttered. Bow grinned, and Adora turned to unlock Catra’s cuffs. Catra rubbed her wrists when they came off, and looked at Adora, her eyes burning with intensity that Adora couldn’t place. Her helmet was suddenly suffocating with heat.   
“Let’s go,” she said, heading out into the hall as she shook her hair from her helmet. Glimmer pestered Bow with questions as they walked back to Mara’s ship.  
“...And where’s Adora’s sword?”   
Adora stiffened. Bow shot her a panicked glance. She nodded. She faintly heard Bow explain it to Glimmer.   
“Adora, what happened?” Catra’s unusually gentle voice asked.   
“I broke the sword. She-Ra was meant to be the key to the weapon the First Ones made, the Heart of Etheria. It needed to be stopped, so I-” Adora’s voice cracked, “I shattered the sword. They can’t control She-Ra anymore. They can’t control me.” Adora never lifted her eyes from the ground. Catra was probably glad that She-Ra was gone, it was all she ever wanted after Adora left. But Glimmer would be furious; the crown jewel of the rebellion was gone.   
The group walked in silence after that. They passed soldiers of the Horde Prime army, powerless and unmoving, their biological parts unable to function without the technological ones. The hangar was empty, silent and dark. Mara’s ship remained perfectly untouched, and the walkway opened with a rush of air when the group of soldiers got closer. Too easy of a mission.   
“Leaving so soon?” A high, cold voice called. The hair on Adora’s neck stood up. She turned, and there was no doubt over who it could be. Horde Prime was tall, with an icy smile and long tubes resembling hair. Rather than the blues and reds that Hordak had worn, Horde Prime donned sickening shades of gray and greens to match three out of his four cold eyes.   
“You need to leave Etheria. We are a peaceful planet, we leave other galaxies alone. We don’t cause problems,” Adora scowled, taking a step forward, her fists clenching the air. She wished she had her sword.   
“But you have much on this planet that I am interested in. Your energy source, your runestones, your portal capabilities. They could be a valuable asset to me,” Horde Prime spoke smoothly, but with the bite of cruelty in his voice.   
“You have one chance. Leave Etheria and never return.” Glimmer spoke with the authority of a queen, without a hint of fear showing. Her mother would be proud.   
“Surely you understand, dear Queen, that that will not be happening,” a dark smile crept over Horde Prime’s face.   
Adora raised her stun baton, its electricity crackling and thrumming with energy. She took another step forward.   
“Get everyone on the ship. I’m going to make sure he doesn’t bother us again if it’s the last thing I do,” she murmmered to Catra.  
“Hell no, I’m not leaving you.”  
“We don’t have much of a choice. I know what I have to do. If I don’t take him down, he takes us down.”  
“Adora, you’ve always been a fan of your little ‘the hero has to save everyone’ thing, but I am not letting that ship budge unless your stupid ass is on it.”   
Adora smiled sadly, “You know I don’t have that option, Catra.” She placed a short, sweet kiss on Catra’s cheek, and shot toward Horde Prime.   
“Adora!”


	5. Go

Clanging metal was all anyone could hear. Adora was a blonde blur, locked in combat with the evil Horde lord. No one could move, but no one could look away. Bow trembled as he pulled an arrow back, ready to fire at any second.   
“I can’t hit him, not without hitting her,” he cried desperately. Glimmer was trying in vain to summon magic, but dull shine and exhaustion was all she could muster, her powers completely drained.   
The fight continued without them, Adora started to falter with her dagger and baton as her only weapons.  
“Oh dear, worn out so soon? Pity. I was having such fun,” Prime smirked, blocking a blow from Adora’s baton.   
“Never,” Adora grunted through gritted teeth. She stumbled, and Prime’s claws glinted in front of her eyes. She screamed in pain, a searing heat raking her jaw. It stung horribly, and when she pulled her hand away from her face her fingers were covered in wet, sticky blood. SHe swore, caught off guard, and Prime swiped at her again. Adora stepped back in time, but his nails sliced open her utility belt, the sword fragments spilling onto the polished floor.   
“Adora!” Catra’s shrill voice caught in her throat as she darted forward. A strong grip on her arm stopped her.   
“Look,” Bow nodded, a grin breaking across his face. The sword’s fragments were glowing blue, and Catra swore she saw Adora’s eyes glow to match. A smirk broke over her face as she realized what was happening.   
“You know, you weren’t wrong earlier,” she called, “You won’t be leaving Etheria. Or rather, you won’t be here to see it.” A dazzling gold glow enveloped Adora, making her grow and bulking her up even more than Horde Prime. The glow subsided and She-Ra kneeled on one knee. Her pure blue eyes pierced Prime’s as she rose to tower over him. He didn’t move, seemingly bound by She-Ra herself. The Princess raised an open hand, and what had been fragments of the sword floated into her grip, materializing into the Sword of Protection in all its former glory.   
No one in the room moved, no one in the room breathed. She-Ra never dropped eye contact as she walked slowly towards Horde Prime, sword raised and eyes blazing.   
“You will never bother my people again,” the near-goddess growled, plunging her sword into Horde Prime’s chest. He didn’t bleed, he didn’t scream, as he scratched at the blade embedded in his chest. She-Ra gripped his neck and pulled out her sword, holding Horde Prime a foot off the ground, her gaze just as terrifying. She dropped him on the floor and turned, facing the group of soldiers watching.   
“I’ll be right back. Get on the ship. Leave without me if I’m not back in two minutes.” She turned again and ran back into the ship’s halls.   
“What is she doing, Bow?” Catra asked, still too shocked to move.   
“I...don’t know,” he replied, slowly returning his bow to his back, “But whatever it is, we need to be ready to leave. It can’t be good.”  
Glimmer nodded, “Everyone, get on the ship!” They didn’t need to be told twice.   
As they began piling in, Catra looked back at the door Adora- No, She-Ra - had disappeared through. Suddenly, a loud BOOM sounded from somewhere in the giant spaceship, and a robotic voice began counting down from speakers.   
Fifty-nine, fifty-eight, fifty-seven…   
A pit formed in Catra’s stomach. Seconds later, the blonde barrelled through the hallway and into the hangar.   
“GO! GO! GO!” she screamed, running faster every second.   
“Not until you’re on this ship!” Catra screamed back, reaching her hand out to She-Ra.   
Thirty-five, thirty-four, thirty-three…  
She-Ra took a running start and leapt into the closing doorway of the ship, feeling Catra grip her as she transformed back into Adora. The door closed behind her as she stumbled to the helm, slamming her hand on the panel and rasped, “Take us out of here. Back to the Whispering Woods.”   
Instantly, the ship shot out of the hangar as a thundering explosion shook the smaller spaceship . Adora breathed a heavy sigh of relief and sank onto the floor. Her face was still bleeding, her hair was a mess, and Catra could see how heavily she was breathing under the armor. She started to walk to Adora, but Bow and Glimmer beat her to it, hugging her and pulling out first aid kits to patch up Adora’s wounds. Catra turned to the Horde soldiers, all quietly celebrating as they took off their armor. Among them were her old squad mates, Lonnie, Rogelio, and Kyle. She had been cruel to them, what could she say to them now to make up for that? Catra retreated to a dark corner of the ship and faced the wall. She had been sitting by herself for a few minutes when a familiar voice called out.   
“Hey, uh, Catra?”  
She turned herself around a little too fast. It was Kyle. She opened her mouth to say something, anything, but nothing came out.   
“Uh, Bow says that we’ll be in Brightmoon in an hour, which is a lot longer than how long it took to get here, but also better because it made a lot of people sick, but uh-”  
“Thank you, Kyle.” Catra managed to say. Kyle looked like Catra had grown another head.   
She chuckled, “yeah, I know I’ve been absolute hell to deal with. None of you deserved that. I’m sorry.”   
Before Kyle could open his mouth, Lonnie strode over and placed a protective hand on his shoulder, Rogelio trailing close behind.   
“Everything okay here, Kyle?” Lonnie asked, meeting Catra’s eyes with a raised eyebrow.   
“Oh, uh, yeah, Catra was just...thanking me...us…” Kyle squeaked. Lonnie’s eyebrow raised even more.   
“I mean it. You guys came out here to help, and you helped rescue me. I’ve been an ass since...you know. I was horrible. I’m sorry about it.” Catra looked at her feet as she spoke, not wanting to see the look on her old squadmates’ faces. It was quiet for a moment.   
“You’re right. You were horrible. You messed up big time, and no apology is gonna fix that,” Lonnie responded, as Catra’s stomach twisted, “But it’s a good place to start.” Lonnie shot her a small smile before leading Kyle away. Catra couldn’t help smiling back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so I kinda felt that all the clones were connected to this "main computer", so by disabling the computer all of the clones were basically deactivated, except for Horde Prime. (Which is why the group has no trouble leaving or anything) And he obviously was not going to leave Etheria alone without a fight, and Adora loves to fight, but Prime does not stand a chance against She-Ra at all. Also, She-Ra just decides to blow up the ship, because she can.


	6. Might Be Nice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Back in Bright Moon, Adora and Catra finally get a chance to talk.

Bright Moon was a maze compared to the Fright Zone, and that was saying something. Catra had tried, in vain, to get Adora alone, but to no avail. Bow and Glimmer said that she needed to rest, and that Catra could talk to her in the morning.   
A celebration was planned for the young Queen’s safe return and her reunion with her father for the following night, and Catra knew Adora would need to be there. She just didn’t want to wait.   
So Catra found herself creeping through the castle’s halls, trying to find Adora’s room. Go figure, her room was marked as the warrior princess, the engraving clearly Adora’s alter ego. Catra raised her fist to knock, but couldn’t bring herself to make that loud of a noise. What if she woke people up? No, she wouldn’t knock.   
She slowly opened the door and slipped silently into the room. It was Adora’s, without a doubt. Everything was meticulously neat and organized, not a single thing out of place. The bed, that looked way too soft, was neatly made, but empty.   
Catra’s eyes searched the dark room, and she was thankful for her night vision.   
“Hey, Catra.”  
Catra jumped at the sound of the voice, frantically searching for the source, who she found sitting in the moonlight dangling her legs in the pool of water on her balcony.   
“Hey Adora,” Catra swallowed.   
Adora patted the space next to her as an invitation for Catra to sit next to her. Catra gingerly sat down, folding her legs under her to avoid the water.   
“I thought you’d be asleep,” Adora said, closing her eyes and tilting her head back.  
“Funny, I thought you’d be resting,” Catra half-heartedly teased. Adora shook her head.   
“Too much going on in my head to rest.”  
“Oh?” Catra was desperate to talk. She just didn’t want to be the one to bring it up.   
“When I found the sword and learned I was She-Ra, I was sure I was doing the right thing. I wanted to live up to my ‘destiny’, even though it meant leaving my home, my friends, my entire life,” she nudged Catra, “behind. I was confused for a while. How did I know I was doing the right thing? She-Ra helped the alliance turn the tide of the war. She-Ra helped rebuild the princess alliance. She-Ra won people’s hearts and saved villages. She-Ra was the rebellion’s crown jewel, not Adora. And then I found out that She-Ra was a pawn, a puppet meant to destroy the planet. So I destroyed She-Ra. Or I thought I did.”  
Catra listened intently to what Adora said.   
“I didn’t want to be the hero. I didn’t ask for this ‘destiny’ thing. I wanted to do what I thought was right. I just never realized what that would mean, who I would lose.” For the first time, Adora met Catra’s eyes.   
“I can understand that,” Catra began, “My entire life, I had a purpose, even if that purpose was pissing off Shadow Weaver.” That earned a grin from Adora.   
“After you left, I didn’t know what to do. You’d gone and found your purpose, even though I always we’d stay together. I didn’t have a purpose after that. So I did what I knew, claw my way up the ranks until I was at the top. And I almost made it! But I wasn’t happy. No amount of power could fix that.”  
It made Catra uncomfortable to talk about her feelings so openly, but she wanted Adora to understand why she did what she did.   
“I made mistakes, Adora. I got people hurt, I got people killed. Hell, I almost destroyed the world, and would’ve succeeded if it hadn’t been for you. My biggest mistake was not coming with you when you asked me to leave with you.”   
Adora’s blue eyes stared into Catra’s soul, giving her a curious look. Then she pulled Catra into a hug, burying her face in Catra’s shoulder. Carefully, she wrapped her arms around the blonde soldier, pulling her in closer.   
“I missed you,” the soft, almost trembling voice said, muffled by Catra’s shirt.   
“I missed you too,” Catra whispered back.   
Adora lifted her face, her eyes swimming with tears.  
“My feet are always cold at night,” she giggled, wiping her cheek with her sleeve. Catra laughed.   
“It’s too quiet in the Fright Zone. Your loud mouth isn’t there to be annoying.”  
The two girls laughed for some time before slipping into an uncomfortable silence.   
“ What are you going to do now?” Catra asked, watching Adora slowly kick her legs in the pool.   
“What do you mean?” the blonde questioned.   
“I mean, the Horde and Horde Prime are basically defeated. The war is over. What will you, and She-Ra, do without a war?”   
Adora looked off in thought.   
“ I don’t know,” she said at last, “With no war, the alliance doesn’t need me. I haven’t given much thought to how to live life without a war. Maybe a little place in the woods, to relax, maybe research the planet, and the First Ones? Find out where I came from?”  
Catra nodded. “Assuming they don’t imprison me here for war crimes, peace and quiet sounds nice.”  
“I can’t believe it’s really almost over...As soon as the peace treaty is signed…” Adora trailed off.   
“Yeah, I’m really sure Hordak’s gonna sign a peace treaty,” Catra snorted. Adora looked at her curiously.   
“He won’t be signing it. Didn’t anyone tell you?”   
“Tell me what?” Catra felt her heart beat faster with fear.   
“No one has seen him. They don’t know what happened to him, but if he isn’t able to sign it...someone else will.” Adora’s eyes bored into Catra as she realized what Adora was saying.   
She was the second-in-command. And since Hordak was missing, she would have to sign the treaty. She would have to end the war.   
“You will sign it...won’t you..?” Adora asked gently.   
“Adora, I-” Catra didn’t know what to tell her.   
“Please, Catra,” Adora begged, grasping Catra’s hands in her own and holding them to her chest, “I don’t want to fight you anymore.”   
The look on Adora’s face shattered Catra’s heart into a million pieces. All of her life, Adora had been the strong one, the one who pushed herself well beyond her limits, the one who never dropped her guard until it was almost too safe. And now, that same girl looked broken and tired and pathetic. It was gut-wrenching to see her this way.   
“I don’t want to fight you either. I’ll sign it, on a few conditions,” Catra replied.   
“Anything. I’ll make it happen.” Adora’s perfectly sky-blue eyes were wide with desperation, and Catra felt that all-too-familiar twist in her stomach.  
“No Horde soldier, especially child cadets, are to be punished. We were brainwashed into thinking that way. The Fright Zone stays, under Bright Moon surveillance, of course, as a home for the soldiers who have no where else to go, but the Horde army will be disbanded.”   
Adora nodded.  
“Of course. But what about you?”   
Catra smirked, and pulled Adora closer by her chin.   
“I think a little place in the Whispering Woods might be nice,” she purred.   
Adora grinned, and pulled Catra into a kiss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaaaaand they are together and happy! I feel like one of the things Adora struggles with the most is coming to terms with the purpose she has in life, and her overwhelming desire to keep her friends safe at any cost. Not to mention, her whole life she trained for this war, and with Horde Prime defeated there's no more war and the one thing she was raised for and knows is gone. It's a happy thing yes, but I think she'd have a hard time fully accepting it, even if she's so tired of fighting.


	7. Finally

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The war draws to a close. Or does it...?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a heads up, there's a few suggestive comments/implications in this chapter! Nothing explicit, but maybe borderline nsfw. It's in the first "section" of the chapter, so if that kind of stuff isn't your thing, you can just skip to the first large spacing.

Catra woke to sunlight and chirping birds, a far cry from the mornings she was used to. She stretched and sat up in the bed, smiling to herself as she saw the best part of the morning. Blonde hair was splayed across the pillow, a pink mouth hanging slightly open in the cool morning air. One soft hand clasped Catra’s, the other curled under her pillow. Catra’s smile only grew as she leaned down to press her lips to the sleeping beauty’s.   
“Mmmm.” The sleeping beauty woke only slightly, to pull Catra closer to her and lean into the kiss. As the blonde’s strong arms wrapped around her, Catra had never felt more at peace.   
“Good morning, sleepy head,” she teased, propping herself back up on her elbow to watch Adora.   
“Hey, I was only up a few minutes after you,” she replied groggily, blinking.   
“Keep telling yourself that,” Catra winked, crawling out of bed and sauntering to pick her clothes up from the floor. Adora watched her intently.   
“Are you sure you want to do this?” her eyebrows knit in concern.   
“Of course I am. A little nervous? Yeah. But I have the mighty She-Ra to protect me,” Catra grinned. Adora groaned and flopped herself back onto the bed.   
“When are you gonna stop using that against me?” she sighed.   
“Probably never,” Catra smirked, settling next to Adora, “Although, the mighty She-Ra wasn’t all that mighty last night, now was she?” Catra’s voice dropped to a low purr as she stroked a finger along Adora’s jaw. Flushing, Adora opened her mouth to respond but was interrupted by a knock on the door.   
“Adora? We’re almost ready.” Glimmer’s voice said from behind the door.   
“I’m getting dressed! I’ll be there!” Adora called back.   
“See you in a bit!” came the reply, and Adora sighed, shoving off the covers and going to retrieve her clothes.   
“Aren’t you going to finish getting ready?” she asked Catra as she pulled on a pair of pants.   
“Nah, I’m enjoying the view,” she grinned. Adora huffed as the blush spread across her face, leaning to grab her shirt.   
“Mmmhmm…” Catra nodded approvingly. Adora tossed a jacket at Catra, who only dodged and wolf-whistled. Adora dove back onto the bed, play-wrestling with Catra amid giggling fits.   
“Aww. Adora,” Catra drawled, “Maybe you shouldn’t wear your hair up today.”  
“Why not?” Adora asked, puzzled.   
“Well, I’m going to assume that showing off your new marks might be a tad unprofessional,” she grinned, reaching up to twirl a strand of Adora’s hair around her fingers. Shit.   
“Adora, Adora, Adora! You know, I love it when you blush, red is such a good color on you.”   
“Come on, Catra, we’re going to be late.” Adora pushed herself off of Catra and began to pull half of her hair up.   
“Do they really need us?” Catra sighed, slumping over to Adora and wrapping her hands around the blonde’s muscular waist.   
“Yes, Catra. What’s gotten into you today? You’re awfully clingy this morning.” Adora raised an eyebrow. It dawned on her before Catra couldn even respond.   
“Oh my god. You’re nervous!” she cried.   
“What! No, I’m not,” Catra punched Adora in the arm.   
“You are.”  
“Am not!”  
“You are!”   
“I am not!”  
“You’re so nervous,” Adora chuckled.   
“Princess Adora? The Queen and the rest of the princesses are in the war room.” a guard spoke through the door.   
“I’m on my way,” Adora responded. She turned to face Catra.   
“Ready?” she asked. Catra gulped and nodded. Adora smiled slightly and gently pushed a kiss on Catra’s forehead, taking her warm hand into her own.   
“Let’s go.”

The War Room was deathly quiet as Catra and Adora entered. The Princesses sat in their respective chairs, but a new one had been added at one end.   
“Princess Adora. Kind of you to join us,” King Micah spoke from his chair.  
“Good Morning, your highness,” she responded, taking her seat next to Catra’s.  
The doors opened again, and Queen Glimmer entered the room. Everyone seated at the table stood respectfully, taking their seats as the young queen took hers.   
“Ladies and gentlemen, we are gathered here today to begin negotiations for a peace treaty to end a long-raging war, a war fought for longer than many of us have been alive. As Queen of Bright Moon and leader of the Princess Alliance, I have organized this group as my Peace Council. Force Commander Catra, please state your terms of surrender.” Glimmer spoke formally, too formal to really be her speaking. Catra saw Adora stiffen next to her.   
“Queen Glimmer, as the whereabouts of Lord Hordak are unknown, I am left to speak for the Horde, despite no longer belonging to them. Many of my soldiers have turned their allegiance to the Rebellion. I request that no Horde soldier be punished for their loyalty. Many of our current troops were child recruits, brainwashed and raised into believing their cause was the right one. Second, the territory the Horde have amassed will be returned to the rightful kingdoms and rulers, and the territory known as the Fright Zone may be kept under Bright Moon surveillance, but will be open to house those that have no place to go. The organization known as the Horde will be disbanded effective immediately. The Horde has done ruthless things. It’s time it be put to rest.” Catra stated her terms calmly, just as she and Adora had practiced.   
Adora fiddled her fingers under the table and chewed her lip nervously. Catra wanted nothing more than to hold her hands and calm her.   
“I agree to the terms. All others in favor of accepting the Horde’s terms?” Glimmer asked her table. Adora’s hand was the first to shoot into the air. More hands rose, more than enough.   
“That settles it,” Glimmer nodded, taking the scroll from the scribe and sliding both it and a pen to Catra. She signed it, trembling slightly, and passed it along the table for the rest of the council to sign.   
As the Queen signed the treaty, the room erupted into cheers. It was over. The war was finally over.   
Adora turned to Catra, a grin breaking across her beautiful face. She grasped Adora’s hands, “It’s over, Adora. No more fighting.”   
Adora did something completely unexpected. She pulled Catra close and kissed her, in full view of everyone in the room. When they pulled apart, the princesses stared in shock.   
“Oh, uh, whoops?” Adora laughed sheepishly.   
“Adora, you are such an idiot!” Catra cackled.  
“Are not!”  
“Are too!”  
“Are not”   
“Are too!”  
“No way! I owe Bow twenty coins now!” Glimmer groaned.  
It wasn’t exactly like old times. No, this was something better.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And with that, the war is over! And everyone is now aware that Catra and Adora are together. This is also the last main chapter of this fic, the next "Chapter" will be a short prologue.   
> Since this fic is almost over, I will be posting the first chapter of a semi-sequel to this fic, which centers on Adora, Catra, and the other members of the best friend squad after the events of Season 5. (more info will be posted in the ending of the next chapter!)


	8. Prologue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The war is over, and Adora and Catra begin to move on in their lives.

A few months later, Catra woke from a very enjoyable nap in the sun to kisses peppering her face.   
“Mmm. What time is it?” she sighed, stretching.   
“It’s three in the afternoon. Come on! There’s something I want to show you!” Adora was like a puppy when she got excited. It was cute, but not when Catra was trying to nap.   
“Whaaaaat,” she groaned, as Adora pulled her off of their bed by her arms.  
“You have to come see!” Adora’s smile was almost too bright.   
“Fine, I’m coming, I’m coming!” Catra slowly stood, scratching her butt.   
Adora took her to the Whispering Woods before covering the cat-girl’s eyes with her hand.   
“No peeking!” the blonde instructed.  
“When are you gonna tell me why we’re here?” Catra asked, as Adora led her slightly further into the woods.   
“Just abouuuuut...now!” Adora stopped, and lifted her hand from Catra’s eyes. The smaller girl opened her mismatched eyes and stood, dumbfounded.   
In a little clearing, stood a small cottage. It had light gray siding and blue window shutters, its dark roof blending into the foliage above. A small garden grew cheerful flowers that gave the air a sweet scent.   
“Adora. What is this?”  
“Remember, right before the war ended, and we talked about our future after the war? I wanted a little place in the woods, just us.” Adora smiled, extending a hand, “Do you want to go inside?” Catra nodded, and Adora led her in.  
The living room was cozy, a small fire burning in the fireplace in front of a comfortable couch and chair. The kitchen was small but homey, herbs already drying about the sink and flowers in a vase on the table. On the first floor, there was an office and a guest bedroom. Catra didn’t care too much about those rooms, though. Their bedroom was cute, lavender curtains draped around their bed and a vanity for each of them in each corner. The window gave a perfect view of the back yard, complete with a pond and a well, and a punching bag hanging from a tree near a tiny shed Catra suspected was full of weapons to train with.   
“Adora, how did you do this?” Catra said, still in wonder.   
She waved a hand dismissively, “Some people owed me some favors. It was the least they could do. Here, we have our own place but we aren’t far from Bright Moon if they need us. We can move all our things from the castle later today.”  
“This is ours,” Catra said softly, trying to comprehend it all, “This is my home. Mine and my girlfriend’s.”  
“Actually, Catra,” Adora smiled bashfully, “I was hoping it’d be mine and my wife’s.”  
Catra’s jaw dropped, her tail freezing in place.   
“You’re kidding,” she said, her heart pounding.   
“I’m not. All my life, all I’ve ever wanted, all I’ve ever needed, was to be with you. I don’t ever want to be without you again, and I mean it.” Adora took Catra’s hands in hers and pulled her closer, happiness swimming in her eyes.   
“You big sap. Of course I’m gonna be your wife,” Catra choked, her throat suddenly thick with tears and emotion. The two hugged, and then kissed, and then hugged again, laughing and crying and loving.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woooo! This fic is finished! I really enjoyed writing this, even if I didn't post it until months after it was finished. I hope y'all liked it!   
> The first chapter of a semi-sequel to this work called "Shadows of Mystacor" is up now! That fic picks up after the ending of Season 5, so much of this fic also applies to that. Adora and Catra are still together, and live in their cottage in the Whispering Woods, but Adora didn't really "propose" in the storyline of the sequel fic. It also excludes a few things that have since been confirmed as canon towards the beginning but they'll be added later on. Go check it out! Thanks for reading!


End file.
